In brief: Police: Man reportedly shot during robbery

Spokane police say a man was shot during a reported robbery at a north Spokane motel early Thursday.

A guest at the Apple Tree Inn, 9508 N. Division St., told a manager he was beaten and robbed in his room about 4 a.m., police spokeswoman Teresa Fuller said. The alleged victim took a taxi to a hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound. He is expected to survive.

Witnesses were not offering police much information, Fuller said.

Anyone with information can call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Kip Hill

Deputy who fired at inmate in hospital ID’d

Sandy Rief, a five-year veteran of Spokane County Detention Services, was identified Thursday as the deputy who shot at a fleeing inmate at Deaconess Hospital.

Rief received commendations for his actions dealing with suicidal subjects in May and August 2012.

Staff reports

Empty cans tie suspect to fire, police say

A 60-year-old Spokane man is suspected of arson after investigators found empty cans of Mike’s Hard Lemonade at the scene of a burned van and in the suspect’s vehicle.

Police were called Wednesday night to a home in the 6900 block of North G Street by a resident who said a van used by her daughter had been set ablaze outside her home and the tires of her nearby sedan slashed, court records say. The hoses in the yard also were cut, apparently to stop her from dousing flames, she told investigators.

Police had responded to the address earlier to deal with a complaint between Steven Klemz, who provided lawn care for the home, and the resident.

Found in a different van nearby, Klemz denied involvement, but he was arrested after police found the empty cans.

An officer reported that the van was “badly burned,” court documents say.